The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) has called for urgent coordination between the main Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) project and its four supporting projects, alongside faster procurement planning and the settlement of long-pending audit objections.
The planning ministry's monitoring agency has also recommended strengthening manpower deployment planning to ensure the timely commissioning and safe operation of the country's first nuclear power plant.
The recommendations were made in an IMED report following an inspection of the mega project.
Copies of the report were sent to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) and other relevant authorities, along with a set of observations and recommendations.
The inspection found that although the project had achieved 78.80 per cent physical progress and 74.29 per cent financial progress as of March 2026, several critical readiness gaps remain.
According to the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR), the RNPP requires 2,090 personnel for the operation, maintenance and management of its two units.
However, the current staffing framework does not include personnel for the on-site fire station, security and physical protection division, and several service departments.
So far, 1,734 personnel have been recruited, including 1,636 technical staff. Of them, 1,290 have received training under the Russian general contractor framework, while 1,155 have been assigned to designated positions.
The report noted that the Russian contractor, Atomstroyexport, has not consistently provided the mandatory Level-2 annual work schedule since 2012, despite contractual obligations.
IMED observed that the absence of a detailed, time-bound work plan has hampered the monitoring of critical activities, procurement coordination and overall readiness planning for both units.
It recommended that the project office and the Ministry of Science and Technology take urgent steps to obtain a comprehensive manpower deployment plan, procurement schedule and materials supply plan from the contractor.
The inspection noted that Unit-1 has entered the advanced commissioning stage following fuel loading and is now progressing through phased start-up activities.
However, delays in earlier milestones have already pushed back the original commissioning target of December 2025.
The IMED review also assessed four supporting infrastructure projects linked to the RNPP, including off-site water supply, nuclear regulatory infrastructure, physical protection systems and external telecommunications networks.
Progress in these projects ranges from 40 per cent to 82 per cent, the report said, warning that uneven implementation of the support projects could affect operational readiness once the plant becomes fully operational.
The report also flagged 230 unresolved audit objections involving financial claims worth about Tk 295.6 billion, identified between 2017 and 2025. None of the objections has been fully resolved.
IMED urged the authorities to expedite the settlement process to ensure financial discipline and accountability in the project.
The monitoring agency further directed the project director to prepare a time-bound manpower deployment and procurement plan in coordination with Atomstroyexport, while ensuring stronger coordination between the main plant and its supporting projects.
The Ministry of Science and Technology has been asked to inform IMED within one month about the actions taken to implement the recommendations.
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